On Edin's Hall, by John TurnbulL 99 



existence. (2) It is surrounded or defended by important out- 

 works. (3) It is accompanied by other buildings which evi- 

 dently belonged to and were dependent on it. And (4) it is 

 further remarkable by being furthest south of all Brochs, and 

 by being one of a very few which are found out of what may be 

 called the native country of Brochs ; namely, the north and 

 south-west of Scotland, and the Orkney and Shetland Islands 

 and the Hebrides. It is estimated that there are in exist- 

 ence, the remains of about 500 Brochs altogether ; and of these 

 there are only five beyond the boundaries mentioned. Of these 

 five, there are two in Forfarshire, one being on each side of Dun- 

 dee, one in Perthshire, and one in Stirlingshire situated on the 

 top of two hills, about 8 miles apart, looking at each other across 

 the Forth, and the fifth is Edin's HaU. 



To what influence we are to ascribe these isolated examples, it 

 is impossible to say, and is a question of the same nature as that 

 which arises with regard to the round towers at Abernethy and 

 Brechin, being the only examples existing out of Ireland ; or in 

 regard to the stone on the Castle Hill of Edinburgh, which is 

 the only one with incised symbols found in Saxonia. 



The tradition of a giant which has been alluded to as con- 

 nected with Edin's Hall is, that such a person lived there, and 

 maintained himself mostly by plunder. On one occasion, return- 

 ing from Blackerston (a farm on the other side of the Whit- 

 adder j with a bull on his shoulders and a sheep under each arm, 

 he crossed the river at the " Strait Loup," and in ascending the 

 slope towards Edin's Hall, he found a pebble in his boot. 

 Taking it out he tossed it from him on the wayside, where it 

 still lies as evidence of the truth of the tradition. It is a boulder 

 between one and two tons weight. 



